Is Mood Disorder A Serious Condition?
Yes, some of the mood disorders are serious conditions and some are not that serious. Let us see what the serious mood disorders are and what the mood disorders those are not that serious are.
Major Depressive Disorders
Major depressive disorder or depression is a serious mood disorder and one of the most common mental diseases. According to National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 2016, 6.7% (16.2 million) adults in United States had at least one major depressive episode in their life and majority of them were females (8.5%) compared to males (4.8%). The prevalence was high in the age group 18-25 years.
In the year 2013 depression was the second common cause for people living with a disability during their lifetime. In 2017 there were 19.7% individuals who were aged 16 or more were diagnosed with symptoms of anxiety or depression in UK, 22.5% were female patients and 16.8% were male patients.
The danger with major depressive disorder is the risk of suicides. It’s hard to give an exact figure, but the risk of suicide with severe depression is about 13% and this is 20 times more compared to the general population. The rates are much lower in mild and moderate depression episodes. The mortality associated with depression is quite higher when compared to the general population. The most common causes for death in depression patients are suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, respiratory infections, heart disease and accidents
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is also a serious condition. According to NSDUH from year 2001 to 2003, 2.8% of adults in US had bipolar disorder, the percentages were similar in males (2.9%) and females (2.8%). Roughly 4.4% of US adult population have experienced the bipolar disorder at some point of their lives. 82.9% of individuals with bipolar disorder had serious disability associated with it, among the mood disorders bipolar had the highest serious impairment rates and 17.1% had a moderate impairment.
Both morbidity and mortality rates are high in bipolar disorder. The quality of life is affected severely in bipolar disorder, most patients have problems in their marriage and family, they are unmarried with no social support, and problems at work or unemployed. The attempted suicide rate is about 25-50% and completed suicide rate is about 10%. Most of the suicide attempts are seen during the depressive phase of the disease. alcohol and drug abuse and anxiety disorders increase the risk of suicide.
Cyclothymic Disorder
The disorder initiates in early childhood or in young adults. There is 15-50% risk of developing bipolar disorder in a person with cyclothymic disorder. Some people recover completely.
Persistent Depressive Disorder
Persistent depressive disorder is a serious condition. It takes a long time to recover and even after that if treatment is stopped it recur, sometimes even with treatment the symptoms can worsen. Most of the patients’ needs to continue the drugs and/or the psychological therapy that made them better for life long.
Seasonal affective disorder and premenstrual dystrophic disorder are temporary.
Depression related to medical illness seriousness depends on the severity of the medical disease. Depression induced by substance use or medication can be serious if the person is abusing drugs and does not have control of it. Death can occur from accidents, overdose and form other medical problems.
Conclusion
Yes, some of the mood disorders are serious conditions and some are not that serious. Major depressive disorder or depression is a serious mood disorder and one of the most common mental diseases. The danger with major depressive disorder is the risk of suicides. The risk of suicide with severe depression is about 13% and this is 20 times more compared to the general population. Bipolar disorder is also a serious condition. Both morbidity and mortality rates are high in bipolar disorder. The quality of life is affected severely in bipolar disorder. The attempted suicide rate is about 25-50% and completed suicide rate is about 10%. There is 15-50% risk of developing bipolar disorder in a person with cyclothymic disorder. Persistent depressive disorder is a serious condition. It takes a long time to recover and even after that if treatment is stopped it recur.
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